South Africa maize expected to be slightly lower than previous estimate: Reuters poll

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FILE PHOTO: A hawker prepares a cob of corn at his makeshift shop in Soweto, January 27, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa’s 2019 maize harvest forecast is expected to be 4% lower than July’s estimate after delayed plantings and lower grades from the Free State and North West provinces curbed yields, a Reuters survey showed on Monday.

The government’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) is expected to peg the harvest at 10.56 million tonnes, lower than its July estimate of 10.97 million tonnes, a poll of five traders and market analysts showed.

The CEC will provide its seventh production forecast for the 2018/19 season on Tuesday.

“White maize harvesting is experiencing grade problems with the latest and last hectares being harvested,” a trader said.

The poll sees the 2019 harvest consisting of 5.56 million tonnes of the food staple white maize and 5 million tonnes of yellow maize, which is used mainly in animal feed.

The estimate for the 2018/2019 season is 16% less than the 12.510 million tonnes harvested in the 2017/2018 season, after dry weather delayed plantings.

The crop is expected to be slightly above the country’s annual consumption of about 10 million tonnes.